Getting Started with a Long Exposure Stack

Produce a longer exposure by taking multiple shots averaging the pixels into a new photo.

Written by Carol Updated over a week ago

Arsenal’s Long Exposure Stacking will simulate the look of a very long exposure by stacking multiple shorter exposures. This technique is often used by landscape photographers to smooth out waves in the water and/or to blur the clouds. The advantages are avoiding sensor noise during long exposures and helping to avoid camera shake.

Get Ready to Shoot a Long Exposure Stack

Before shooting, always make sure that:

Camera is powered on

Arsenal is powered on

Camera is connected via USB cable to Arsenal’s left port (for most cameras)

Starting the Long Exposure Stack

Set the Arsenal app to either Smart or Manual mode. If you want Arsenal to choose all of the settings, tap “Smart” or if you prefer to control the ISO, aperture, shutter or EV tap “Manual.”

Tap the Option button with the stacking/blending options to the left of the shutter button.

On the Stacking/Blending screen, tap on “Long Exposure Stacking”

Use the slider to set the number of images for the exposure stack.

Note: To achieve longer exposure times for each shot set your aperture to a larger f/number (F8 or higher). This will increase the shutter speed time adding a more flowing look to a water or moving shots.

When composing the scene, take into consideration which parts of the scene you want to remain stationary and which parts you want to show motion or blur. Shooting in the golden hours often produces softer, more pleasing light than the midday sun.

Swipe down on the Long Exposure Stacking settings screen when done to return to the main screen. To begin taking the long exposure stack, tap the circular shutter button.

When Arsenal is finished processing the stacked image, a thumbnail preview will appear in the lower right corner of the app. You can identify the completed stacked image by the Long Exposure Stack icon that appears in the lower left corner of the thumbnail. Tap the thumbnail to see a larger version. Click the share button to save or share your completed stacked image.

Please note: The completed stacked image that Arsenal creates is currently only available from the Arsenal Gallery in the app. It is saved as a temporary file. We recommend that you share or save the image from the Arsenal gallery after the stack has been completed.